Earlier this week, a study came out in the journal Nature Climate Change that exposed a deep, dark secret festering in freezing cold offices nationwide — temperatures are historically set for the comfort and metabolic rates of a 40-year-old man.

The horror.

But no, really. People were horrified.

The World Wide Web exploded with people lambasting ACs as sexist. Women shared their sob stories of bringing blankets to the office while their male colleagues languished in their perfectly climatic chambers. (At least the ladies could wipe away their tears with their extra layers.)

One woman, a former magazine editor, cried to me: “It used to make me so mad how cold it always was at the office, given the fact that the building was primarily full of women! I used to keep an electric heating pad even though I think it was technically against the rules. And I used to constantly make myself mugs of tea that I didn’t drink, just so I could have something hot to warm my hands with for a few minutes.

“I was like the little matchstick girl in that story where she’d burn through all the matchsticks before freezing to death.”

Even the two scientists behind the study urged buildings to “reduce gender-discriminating bias in thermal comfort.”

I’m all for female empowerment — but let’s concentrate on the important issues facing women in the workplace. You know, things like wage inequality, a systematic lack of paid maternity leave and career mobility, and workplace sexual harassment.

The AC is not the enemy. OK, so women have to layer up, especially in the summer when air conditioning units are as icy as Anna Wintour’s cold stare.

But would you rather be in a nice, warm office where the heat generously mingles with your colleague’s tuna fish sandwich and wafts through the open seating plan like hot breath on a sweaty summer night? I didn’t think so.

The colder the air, the more alert workers are. Don’t think of ice cold AC as some repressive electrical unit dooming women everywhere. Think of it as the standing desk your HR department refuses to plop down money for — it will help you be more productive AND it will help you lose weight (studies show that extreme cold helps speed up your metabolism). People are shelling out $90 for a three-minute cryotherapy session. Your offices are giving you all that chilly air for free! Ladies, you should be thanking your higher-ups — not hating on them.

Plus, a cold workplace is an excuse to stock up on extra cute sweaters. Because shopping’s a thing women like, right?